Tufting machine



Jan. 10, 1939. M. A. WHITE TUFTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 1o, 1939. M. A. WHITE 2,143,680v

TUFTING MACHINE Filed Feb.l 23, 1938 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 are employed to designate like parts t Patented Jan. 10, 1939.

- UNITED STATES TUFTING MACHINE Murl A. White, Sumter, S. C., assigner to Polly Prentiss, Inc., Sumter, S. C., a corporation o! South Carolina Application February 23, 1938, Serial No. 1942.097

3 Claims.

My invention relates to tufting machines. An important object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above mentioned char-' acter, which is extremely simple in construction, compact, and reliable in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the looper and cutter may be readily removed as a unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the cutter or blade is mounted separate from or independently of the looper, to have a shearing action therewith, the shearing action being effected by a relative movement between the looper and cutter,

A further object of the invention is to provide means for mounting the cutter or blade separate from or independently of the looper, and to simultaneously turn the cutter and looper clockwise and then simultaneously turn them counterclockwise when viewed from the same side and effecting a relative movement between the cutter and looper. 2

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the looperlis moved by the cutter.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to operate the cutter, which means is independent of the work feed means.

The present application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application for 'Tufting machines, Serial No. 148,228, led June `14, 1937.

Other objects andA advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which lik `numerals oughout the same,

Figure l is a side elevation of a tufting machine embodying my invention, parts in section, and parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the same, parts inesection,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the cutter and looper and associated elements,

Figure 3a is a similar view, the looper moved toward the needle, I

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the operating partsof the machine, I

Figure 5 is a vertical view taken on line 5 5 of Figure 3, l

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cutter, looper, and associated elements,

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative movements of the looper and blade, and,

(Cl.Y 112-79) Figure 8 is an edge elevation 'of a bell crank lever for operating the central rock shaft, associated elements being in side elevation, and parts in vertical section,

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral II) designates a sewing machine as a whole, of any well known or preferred type, such as the ordinary Singer sewing machine, comprising a stock II, arm I2 and head I3. The'stock is mounted upon va dat base I4. The head I3 is provided with the usual vertical reciprocatory needle bar I5 having a needle I6 clamped thereto. This needle has the usual eye at its lower pointed end for receiving the tufting yarn or thread, passed through the usual guide and tension means, not shown.

The machine comprises the usual drive shaft Il, suitably journaled in the arm I2, and horizontally arranged, as shown, and driven by a -grooved pulley I8, which-may be manually or power driven. At its forward end the drive shaft Il is provided with a' crank disc I9 rigidly secured thereto, and having pivotal connection with a link 20. This link is pvotally connected with a sleeve 2|, which is clamped to the needle bar I5. The machine further comprises a presser foot 22, of the usual construction, clamped to a presser bar 23, moved downwardly by the usual Vspringv and raised by a finger engaging lever 24.

- Arranged below the base I4 are horizontal rock shafts 25 and 26, which' are held in suitable bearings. The sewing machine further comprises Work feed means, to advance the Work from the operator, including Work feed dogs 2l, operating through a suitable opening in the' base or through the throat plate, as is well known. These dogs are actuated by a rigid dog supporting bar or link 28, to which they are rigidly secured. At one end, the bar or link is rigidly connected with a transverse head 29, which is pivotally connected with upstanding cranks 30, in turn rigidly mounted upon 4the rock shaft 25. At its opposite end the rigid bar or link 28 is provided with a fork 3l, receiving a roller 32,- pivotally mounted vupon a crank 33, in turn rigidly mounted upon the rock shaft 26. The rock shafts therefore serve as the operating means for the bar 28, serving to actuate the work feed means. These rock shafts extend longitudinally of the drive shaft Il and are parallel therewith. The rock shafts 25 and 26 are provided adjacent to the stock II with cranks 34 and 35 respectively. The cranks 3d and 35 are pivotally connected with connecting rods 36 and 3l respectively, which are actuated by cams 38 and 39 respectively, in-turn carried and driven by the drive shaft I1. It might be stated at this point that the rock shaft 25 serves to move the dog vcarrying bar or link 28 longitudinally, while the rock shaft 26. serves to raise and lower the same. The rock shaft I1 is also provided with a crank 40. Theiforegoing description is that of the ordinary Singer sewing machine.

Depending from the base I4 are lugs 4I and 42, Within which is mounted an auxiliary rock shaft 43, arranged between the rock shafts 25 and 26, and parallel therewith. Rigidly connected with the rear end of the rock shaft 43 is a crank 44, having a block 45 pivotally connected therewith, and sliding in an elongated slot 46 of a bell crank lever 41. 'I'his bell crank lever is carried. by a rock shaft 48, journaled in stationary bearings formed in the base I4. Pivotally connected with the end of the bell crank klever 41, at 49, is a connecting rod 50, extending upwardly, for pivotal connection with the crank 48 It is thus seen that the rock shaft 43 is rocked by the continuous rotation of the drive shaft -I1. At its forward end, the rock shaft 43 is provided with a disc or wheel 50carrying a crank pin 5I,`

eccentric therewith. This crank pin operates beneath the dog bar 28 but does not contact therewith.

A support is provided for the cutter and looper, to be described, and this support is removable with the cutter and looper as a unit from the lug 4I, to which it is attached. This support comprises a. plate 52, Figure 6, having a horizontal flange 53, carrying a rib 54, which is separate from the lug 4I. 'I'he plate 52 has elongated vertical slots 55, to receive set screws 56. While the plate 52 is shown as adjustable, for the purpose of raising and lowering the looper, yet the adjustability may be dispensed with and plates of diiferent height used. Coacting with the plate 52 is a plate 51, having a horizontal flange 58, provided with elongated slotsy 59, receiving set screws 60, to engage within screw threaded openings 6I. The plate 51 is adjustable longitudinally of the plate 52, but this adjustability is not essential, as plates ofn'diiferent lengths may be used.

The numeral 62 designates a looper as a whole, comprising an arm 63, provided at its upper end with a looper element 64, having a downturned end or hook' 65. It is preferredi to use the downturned end 65 but this may be omitted under certain conditions; The arm 63 has a recess 66 and the arm is provided at its lower end with a cylindrical opening 61, to receive a pin or stud 6 8, rigidly attached to the plate 51. 'Ihis stud serves as a xed pivot upon which the lower end of the looper 62 turns. 'I'he looper slidably engages the flat face of the plate 51, and the looper is mounted to swing vertically in the direction of the feed of the work, and the looper element 64 has its free end facing in an opposite direction to the feeding movement of the work, and this looper element is adapted to move across lthe path of travel vof the needle I6, when the needle is lowered, to receive the loop from the needle, and to hold the loop from pulling out of the fabric when the needle rises. The plate 51 carries a fixed pivot element 69, which is free from connection with the' looper 62 anddoes not support the looper', but operates within the recess 'or cut out portion 66 without contacting with the looper. 'Ihe numeral 18 designates a blade or cutter, having an angularly disposed cutting edge 1I near its top for shearing action with the looper element 64 preferably having a cutting edge 12. The cutting edge 1| rubs against the cutting edge 12. The blade or cutter 18 slidably contacts with the looper 62 and this blade or cutter is provided with an opening 13, pivotally receiving the pin or pivot 69. This pivot element constitutes the sole support of the blade or cutter 10 which is mounted separate from and independently of the looper 12. The looper 12 not only does not carry the blade or cutter 18, but the looper is reciprocated by the blade or cutter 18 and for this purpose the blade or cutter 18 is provided near its upper end with a pin or stud 14, rigidly attached to the blade 18 and this pin or stud is pivotally mounted within an elongated vertical slot 15, formed in the upper portion of the looper and extending through the upper endthereof. It is thus seen that the blade or cutter 10 turns upon the pivot 69, while the looper 12 turns upon the pin or stud 68. Since the upper end of the blade or cutter 18 is nearer to the pin 69 than the upper end of the looper 82 is to the pin 68, and since the upper ends of the blade and looper are connected 'to move together, theirupper ends move horizontally for the same distance, but due to the difference in the length o f the radii of the swinging parts, the blade or cutter 18 will be inclined or angularly displaced to a greater extent than the looper, whereby a relative angular movement is effected between the blade and looper, causing the cutting edge 1I of the blade to sever the loops upon the looper element 64. The looper 62 and cutter 10 are separately mounted, and the pivot 68 constitutes the sole support for the looper. If this pivot were removed, the looped would drop or work down from the pivoted cutter, since the pin 14 would pass out of the slot 15.

Means are provided to reciprocate the blade or cutter 18, comprising an arm or crank 16, having a head 11. The head is provided with an opening 18 to pivotally receive the pin 69 and the head also has an opening 19 which is elongated and receives a set screw 88, engaging within a screw-threaded opening 8I formed in the blade or cutter 10. 'I'he arm 16 has an elongated slot 82, to receive the crank pin I. The arm or crank 16 may be angularly adjusted with respect to the blade or cutter 10, to regulate the length of the stroke of the blade. .The pivot element or pin 69 extends through the opening 18, as stated, and through a washer 83, having a cut out portion 84 to receive the head of the set screw 8 0. A nut '85 has screw-threaded engagement with the outer end of the pin 69 and is held against turning movement by a lockl nut 86, and a spring 81 is arranged between the nut 85`and washer 83.

In. view of the foregoing description it is thus seen that the looper 62 and the blade 10 and associated elements are all bodily mounted upon the support including the plate 52, and by removing the plate 62 from the lug 4I, the supfore swings the blade or cutter 18 counter-clockwise and causes the looper to travel from the needle. Since the pivots o f the blade and looper are eccentric, their upper ends swing in circularly curved eccentric paths, and since the extent of horizontal movement is the same, the extent of angular displacement or movement of the blade lll is greater than that of the looper, effecting a relative turning movement between the blade and looper and causing the blade to sever the loop or loops upon the looper 64, but leaving the last loop unsevered. In Figure '1, the looper 62 and blade 1li adjacent to the upper arm a of the bracket are retracted from the needle, while in this same figure, looper 62 and blade 'I0 adjacent to the lower arm b of the bracket have been shifted toward the needle, the arcs indicating the path qi travel of the upper ends of the looper and blade. 'I'he extent of throw of the blade may be regulated by adjusting the crank 'i6 so that the last loop will not be cut. While itis preferrd to move the blade so that it wlllfnot cut the last loop, the invention is not necessarily restricted to this operation. As the needle descends the crank pin 51 is traveling'downwardly, and swings the arm or crank '|0,clockwise, looking from the front in Figure 3a, and the crank p proaches or reaches ,its uppermost position, theV looper moves from the needle. The cutting edge il of the blade 10 moves toward the looper element 64 as the blade and looper element move from the needle, to sever the loop or loops upon the looper, and the cutting edge 'il' moves from the looper element as the looper element moves toward the needleto provide a suitable space for the loop when the looper element enters the loop.

It is to be understood that the form. of myv invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size, and ar-y rangement of parts, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an attachment for use with parts of a sewing machine including a. needle and work feed means, said attachment comprising a fixed pivot, a blade mountedvupon the fixed pivot,

` means to turn the blade upon its pivot, a looper having the blade coacting therewith and adapted i to enter the loop produced by the needle, the looper having an elongated opening near its upper end, a pin secured to the upper portion of the blade and enteringth elongated opening, the pin causing the movement of the blade to move the looper, the pin also shifting longitudinally of the looper within the elongated opening, a pivotal mounting for Athe looper separate from the blade and constituting the means for supporting tne looper to'the exclusion of the blade, the mounting holding the looper against perceptible movement upon its longitudinal axis.

2. In an attachment for use .with parts oi' a sewing machine including a needle and work feed means, said attachment comprising a i'lxed pivot, a blade ,mounted upon the xed pivot, means to turn the blade upon its pivot, a looper having the blade ccacting therewith and adapted to enter the loop produced by the blade, a sliding connection between the upper portions of the blade and looper to permit of relative vertical movements between such upper portions, a pivotal mounting for the looper separate from the blade and constituting the sole supporting means for the looper, the mounting holding the looper against perceptible movement upon its longitudinal axis, the blade serving to swing the looper.

3.l In an attachment for use with parts of a sewing machine including a needle and work feed means, said attachment comprising a pivot extending transversely of the line of work, a blade mounted upon the pivot, means connected with the blade to turn it upon its pivot, a reciprocatory looper for movement in the direction of 'the line of work and having the blade coacting therewith and adapted to enter the loop producedby the needle, an element secured to the blade and slidably engaging the looper and shiftable longitudinally of the looper and serving to cause the looper to be moved by the blade, a mounting for the looper separate from the blade and constituting the sole supporting means for the looper, the mounting holding' the looper against perceptible movement upon its longitudinal axis with respect to the mounting. f

MURLA.WBII'E.` 

